by Tony Guo
I sold my magic collection many times. Each time I sold, I was certain I would never come back... yet back I came. In this blog I will discuss how to come back after selling, where to find the best "deals" and how to buy. Because buying and selling are completely different I only focus on buying.
I buy singles off Ebay or MOTL (Magic Online Trading League), however these places are not ideal to buy or add to your collections. I use them more for finding the missing piece of a deck.
On Ebay, the price is bid up to a "fair" range. Many auctions end higher than expected because of the number of potential bidders. Another reason to avoid Ebay is the scam culture. A common Ebay scam is for the auctioneer to write alpha/beta on boxes but never show the contents, or show a few alpha/beta cards. While most of you would think that it would be ridiculous to bid on an auction of this nature, many scam auctions end in the thousands of dollars with multiple bidders.
MOTL is better than Ebay, but still not the best way to get that "deal" we are all salivating for. In fact, it can be worst. MOTL users are experts in prices. Some like "Gunslinga" deal with power 9 on a daily basis, while many are vendors/dealers. The average knowledge of card prices on MOTL is incredibly high. MOTL users know their prices.
My Craigslist experiences have been hit or miss. Recently I brought X force of wills for 40 dollars and X wastelands for 30. However to find this "deal" there is a frustrating process. The difference between Craigslist and Ebay or MOTL, is the knowledge gap. On Craigslist you are more likely to find someone who has no idea what their cards are worth. While you would think this would be good thing for people interested in buying... it isn't. 95% of the time prices are either absurdly high or the collection has been picked through (all the good cards were sold or traded away). Add the creepiness factor that Craiglist brings, and not a receipe for success.
And obviously, buying a collection from a store is a bad idea since they need to "meet overhead." Not exactly... :)
You might say at this point... I get it, it's a desert out there for buyers. Is there some secret you are keeping from us? ummm... yes...
The best way to build a collection quickly and cheaply is the following:
Make good friends with your local store owner. You can do this by being a regular customer, going to FNMs, ordering a box of the new stuff, talking to the owner, but most important making sure the owner knows you are spending money. After a while, many store owners will recognize your loyalty and give you special discounts and/or reserve special products such as commander arsenal (I paid 75 dollars while the Ebay price is over 200).
To come full circle, we have to answer the question "Who gets the best deals for magic collections?" The answer: your local game store. Old and valuable collections come through game stores all the time. I've seen power nine, foil Jaces, and thousands of alpha/beta cards come through stores. Not to mention, okay cards like force of will, wasteland, scroll rack, enlightened tutor, and onslaught fetchlands. Sellers are often shocked to find out what a store will pay them (shocked as in they were expecting much less). A reputable store will be fair. But being fair for a store means paying 50%-75% of the true value which is much better than anything Craigslist, Ebay, or MOTL offers.
That's all great... but how do I, the loyal customer, get these deals reserved for shops? Well, it comes down to cash flow. If more collections come in than a store can buy and liquidate then rather have another store buy the collection, your store may call its best customer and ask whether they would be interested. When this happens offer to pay the store a 10% finders fee, hence making sure the store knows you appreciate their call and ensuring that they will call again. The store gains a lot by calling you. They prevent other stores from selling the collection and competing with them but more importantly loyalty is a two way street.
How realistic is this? Well, last month my local game store could not purchase a collection of duals so they called me. I was able to buy 4 tropical islands, 5 volcanic islands, and 3 tundras for 70 dollars each which was the buylist (I also brought a lot of EDH things for my Thrax deck). While the price was higher than the store would have paid, it was low enough to make me happy.
What did the owner ask in return? I pay for dinner that night.
Please comment if you have any questions. I can be found on youtube as newlawstudent.
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